Mortensen, who shows his bare buttocks in two scenes and has an endless death scene, does his best with a largely one-dimensional role and Charlize Theron turns up in a few flashbacks as his late wife. Robert Duvall drops a few aphorisms in his two scenes as a 90-year-old wanderer and if you blink — or, more likely nod off — you'll miss Guy Pearce.

We're looking at exploring their relationship prior to when we first met them and seeing a bit of what happened as a prequel. I think we danced around the concept of an origins and we settled on something that is very substantive. That will part of the sequel.

More filming of scenes at Los Angeles airport — Ryan at Hawaii Weblog pieces together a few different sources to create a picture of the scene being filmed. Kate is at the airport, handcuffed in the custody of the Marshall. And then somehow she gets away from him and gets her handcuffs off. She runs down the stairs and says "Hey" to Hurley. And then she jumps the line at the taxi stand, causing Neil aka "Frogurt" to scream at her for stealing his cab. As her cab speeds away, the Marshall emerges from the terminal with a head injury. He runs up to airport personnel showing them Kate's picture and telling them to keep an eye open for her — then he sees the cab and runs after it. Meanwhile, Jack heads for the passport station, but changes his mind at the last minute and turns back. Also, Dr. Arzt was there, and rumor has it Claire (Emilie de Ravin) was on set as well. [Hawaii Weblog]

Here's a better look at the season six poster, showcasing all the old characters who will be coming back. [Doc Arzt]

The over-arching theme of season two is, "Your past is always about to catch up with you," Roberto Orci tells Sci Fi Magazine. And Leonard Nimoy will be in at least three episodes, but may do more. Nina Sharp will play a bigger role in season two, and we'll realize she knows a lot more about "the condition of the show" than we've been privy to so far.

Olivia will be having a crisis, and start questioning whether she should even be investigating these weird phenomena, after the terrible things she's discovered. The fact that Olivia may be developing superpowers is going to contribute to her ambivalence about which side she's on in the war. We'll also see more of Olivia's sister and niece. [Sci Fi Magazine via Fringe Television]

The studio sent out some screeners for the season two premiere, and they included a mysterious piece of paper which appeared to be a communication between two different parties: "TARGET TERMINATED IN FATAL CAR CRASH. MEETING PREVENTED. REQUEST EXTRACTION. NEGATIVE. MISSION FAILURE. MEETING OCCURRED. TARGET STILL ALIVE. REQUEST NEW ORDERS. INTEROGATE TARGET. THEN KILL HER." [Sci Fi Wire]

Orci also says we're going to see a crowd of Observers coming up in the seasons eighth episode:

You're gonna see more than one - this is an exclusive! You are going to see many Observers. [It's] going to tell you a lot about The Observers. You're going to find out their role in the world, what they're named after, and their connection to some of these characters.

And he says the fourth, eighth and 12th episodes will each provide more answers to die hard viewers. [TV Guide Magazine]

And in that episode, Mark and Demetri head to Utah to track down a suspect who may be connected with the flashforwards. Meanwhile, Mark's wife Olivia runs into the man from her flashforward — the man that future Olivia was having an affair with. And Mark and Olivia's daughter, Charlie, is having difficulty coming to terms with her own flash-forward. [FlashForward.PL]

Also, Gabrielle Union plays Zoey, the fiancee of John Cho's character, Demetri. And she says we get to see her flashforward, and it's very life-affirming. [IESB]

Supernatural:

Here's the official description for episode 5x04, "The End" — and I'm guessing this is the one where we see the world of 2014 and Sarah Palin is president:

TWO DEAN WINCHESTERS? - Sam (Jared Padalecki) tells Dean (Jensen Ackles) he wants to rejoin Dean in the battle of the Apocalypse, but Dean tells Sam that they are better off apart. Later, Dean awakens five years in the future in an abandoned city and is attacked by humans who have been infected with a demonic virus that turns humans into Zombies. Zachariah (guest star Kurt Fuller) appears to Dean and explains that this is the world that exists as a result of Dean saying no to helping the angels fight Lucifer. Dean meets up with Future Dean, who tells him that the virus is the Devil's endgame for destroying mankind.

It's written by Ben "The Tick" Edlund, so you know it'll be weird. [SPNSite]

Smallville:

Promo pics from the second episode, "Metallo," show more of Clark's crazy black trenchcoat and Brian Austin Green's glowy chest thing. [OSCK]

And here's the official description of that episode:

After being struck by a truck, John Corben (guest star Brian Austin Green) wakes up alone in an abandoned apartment as a man-machine with a Kryptonite heart. Corben realizes he now has superhuman strength and sets out to exact revenge on the Red-Blue Blur, who he perceives to be an irresponsible vigilante. Against Clark's (Tom Welling) wishes, Lois (Erica Durance) involves herself in the Red-Blue Blur's investigation, and winds up getting kidnapped by Corben.

After the events of last season, Clark takes on the mantle of protector of Metropolis, trading in his familiar red-and-blue for black-and-gray, sticking to the city's shadows and rooftops to become a solitary sentry simply known as "the Blur." While Clark wrestles with his identity, feeling forced to choose between his Kryptonian heritage and human past, he'll encounter even more powerful enemies and allies from across the DC Universe. This season will feature new and past nemeses, including Metallo (Brian Austin Green, "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles"), the man with the Kryptonite heart; Roulette, a sexy mastermind; the return of Toyman; and the always-treacherous Zod (Callum Blue) as a young Major and leader of an invading alien army, who befriends fellow Kryptonian Clark just as his venomous side is beginning to emerge. This season will also feature an appearance by DC Comics' first all-star team of superheroes, the Justice Society of America, in an episode penned by renowned comic book writer Geoff Johns, who returns to the show after writing last year's fan favorite episode, "Legion."...

The season nine premiere takes place three weeks after Clark and Doomsday's epic battle. Obsessed with becoming the hero the world needs, Clark is now literally leaving his mark on Metropolis – having fully embraced his Kryptonian side in order to finish training with his father Jor-El, Clark has started wearing the iconic "S"-shield on his chest, and spreads the symbol around the city in an effort to give its people hope.

Whereas Clark is working alone, Chloe feels driven to reunite the disbanded Justice League. Her biggest challenge is Oliver Queen, who'd rather lose himself in underground fight clubs and drunken one-night stands. Oliver's friends will hatch a plan to bring him back from the edge. Reconnecting with the hero inside of him, Oliver will return with a renewed purpose, even searching out an apprentice in Mia Dearden, DC comics' teenaged sidekick "Speedy."

Clark and Oliver will find themselves caught up in a love triangle with Lois, as both men's passions begin to burn brightly for her. Returning from her trip through time, Lois starts experiencing nightmarish visions of the future. Could they come true? If so, one not-so-troubling image is playing itself over and over in her head – Lois and Clark locked in a romantic, erotic embrace. Meanwhile, Clark continues to be conflicted over his own feelings for Lois. As the sparks fly, Lois and Clark's relationship will deepen, leading to their first true kiss, and possibly something more.

Meanwhile, Clark and Chloe's relationship is starting to become strained. No longer content just being Clark's sidekick, Chloe uses Watchtower's powerful computers to spin her own web of influence and intrigue, manipulating people like chess pieces in the name of the greater good. But when Chloe begins to believe the ends justify the means, it sends her on a collision course with her friend and ally Clark.

When it comes to master manipulators, Tess Mercer has emerged as the rightful heir to Lex Luthor's legacy. Always inscrutable, Tess has her hands full this season with an army of Kryptonians, newly arrived from the lost city of Kandor and led by the infamous Zod. However, this incarnation of Zod is younger than the one we remember – he has yet to grow into the power-mad psychopathic dictator, General Zod. Season nine's Zod may only be a Major, but he's already a cunning strategist and charismatic leader who knows how to inspire his troops. But behind his magnetism and those piercing eyes, Zod is still very dangerous. When Zod and Clark eventually meet, Clark recognizes that if he can befriend his fellow Kryptonian, he might be able to influence Zod away from becoming an evil, twisted tyrant. While it's true this Major Zod has certain vulnerabilities, it may only take a handful of betrayals to turn him into Clark's deadly arch-nemesis.

Robert Carlyle talks his character, Dr. Nicholas Rush, and explains why he found Rush such a compelling character to play. [Wired via SciFiScoop]

And in another interview, the show's cast talks about their fascination with science fiction and their feelings about stepping into an established universe. (Including some clips). [SyFy via Stargate-SG1-Solutions]

A new review of the pilot includes a fairly detailed synopsis:

General O'Neil (Richard Dean Anderson) and Dr. Rush recruit Eli Wallace to join the Stargate program when he solves an Ancient mathematical equation that was embedded in an online video game. They embark to the newly established Icarus base via the U.S.S. George Hammond (as Commanded by Amanda Tapping's Col. Carter), the latest in the Daedalus class ships. Wallace is given a crash course on the Stargate with some help from video recording by Michael Shank's Dr. Daniel Jackson! The ship arrives several light years from Earth at a planet with unique elemental properties needed to activate the gate (dismissing the theory that Icarus base was on the moon, sorry folks) and Wallace and Dr. Rush prepare to initiate the 9th Chevron. The base comes under attack from unknown forces (it is implied that the attackers are the Lucian Alliance, villains established late in the SG-1 series). The gate is activated and the base was to be evacuated back to Earth, but at the last moment Rush and Wallace figure out how to use the 9th Chevron (through some trial and error) and the evacuation happens just in the nick of time! The survivors find themselves onboard the Ancient Ship known as the Destiny, which was charged with traveling to the far reaches of the Universe. The ship was following another ship that traveled ahead to create and seed Stargates to new worlds for exploration. Using the Ancient Communication stones (established in SG-1) Dr. Rush is able to communicate back to Earth to let them know of the current situation. The more pressing problem is that the Destiny is falling apart and is in need of repair. Supplies are low and there is no way to change the ship's course. Now Rush and the crew are along for the ride into worlds unknown. In order to fix the air purification system, a team is dispatched through the gate to search for limestone. But time is short as the ship will jump back into Faster Than Light Travel after a certain amount of time.

So just how sexy will this new cast be? Behold a bevy of promo pics, most of which I'm pretty sure are new. [SpoilerTV]

True Blood:

Eric will keep trying to get under Sookie's skin in season three, says Alan Ball. And here's what else to expect next year:

We'll meet the Vampire King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington. And we'll encounter werewolves for the first time in the flesh; we've heard about them, but we'll meet them. I'm very excited about the character of Debbie Pelt. She's bad news... Debbie Pelt is the ex-girlfriend of a guy who's helping Sookie try to find Bill, and she is just hard ass, white trash bitch on wheels. She's so much fun. But there are other great characters, too. Everybody is struggling with identity in season three – What am I? Who am I? What is my life? Is it what I want it to be? How do I make it what I want it to be? What are my real values? And some people are like, "Am I human? I always thought I was, but maybe I was wrong." In one particular case, its like, "Yes, honey, you were wrong."

As Eastwick prepares for its annual fall HarvestFest, Joanna, Kat and Roxie's lives continue to take a turn for the strange. Distracted by distressing psychic visions of her new neighbor, Jamie, Roxie struggles to protect Mia from harassment by her ex-boyfriend, Gus (Christian Alexander). As Kat gains the courage to end her own toxic relationship - her marriage to Raymond — he's back in their home to recuperate from being struck by lightning. And while Joanna worries that Will's romantic attentions are only due to her hypnotic power, she and Penny embark on a perilous mission to uncover Darryl Van Horne's true identity. Joanna finds Milton Philmont (Martin Mull), a retired Gazette reporter who years ago wrote about the death of a man named Sebastian Hart - a man who looks uncannily like a young Darryl Van Horne. Armed with an old photo of Hart with three beautiful women, she and Penny seek answers from the eccentric and reclusive Eleanor Rougement (Cybil Shepherd)